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Blackberry Ice Cream, Part 1
I'm a creature of habit when it comes to ice cream—once I find something that works, I make it until the freezer can hold one more. Blackberry ice cream has been my go-to for years because it's forgiving and deeply flavored without any special equipment. The trick is letting the berries macerate with sugar before blending; this pulls out their juice and concentrates the flavor so every bite tastes like summer.
Ingredients
Method
- Place the blackberries in a bowl and toss with half of the sugar (½ cup). Let them macerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to several hours in the refrigerator. You'll notice the berries releasing their juice—this is what gives the ice cream its deep color and flavor.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the remaining sugar (½ cup) with the heavy cream, whole milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt until small bubbles form around the edges (do not boil). Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Strain the macerated berries through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing gently on the solids with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible—you want about 1½ cups of berry juice. Discard or save the remaining pulp for another use (it's great stirred into yogurt).
- Combine the strained berry juice with the cream mixture and stir until well blended. Taste and adjust sweetness if needed; you can add a touch more sugar if your berries are very tart.
- Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions, usually about 20-25 minutes until it reaches soft-serve consistency. If using a no-churn method (see note below), pour into a shallow container and freeze for 3 hours before stirring vigorously with a fork or whisk to break up crystals, then return to the freezer for another 2 hours.
- Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until firm, about 4 hours or overnight. Let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before scooping—it will be much easier to serve this way.
- No-churn method note: If you don't own an ice cream maker, simply stir the mixture every hour during freezing (steps 5-6 above) and add 1 can of sweetened condensed milk after the first stir for extra creaminess without any churned air pockets.
Nutrition
Notes
I've made this recipe dozens of times, and I always add a touch of lemon zest to brighten things up. Without it, you taste pure blackberry—but with it, the whole thing sings. The texture stays creamy even without an ice cream maker thanks to a quick stir halfway through freezing. Serve it alongside grilled peaches or just spooned over shortcake with whipped cream.
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